It is well-known to use an easy-open composite container for the packaging of raw, ready-to-bake, dough. In such a container, the container body, which is conventionally formed of paperboard, is torn open by the consumer to expose the container contents so as to enable the removal of individual dough cakes without substantial cake deformation. It is often desirable to include in such a container a quantity of icing or other topping for consumption with the cakes. As such, it is desirable to keep the topping separated from the cake dough so that each may be handled cleanly by the consumer.
The topping in such dough containers may be packed in a small open-ended plastic cup which, after being filled, is inserted, open end first, through an open end of the container body and pushed through the body until it seats against a closed end of the container. Such a container is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,182,890 to Elam. The plastic cup according to Elam is provided with an annular flange adjacent its closed end that is adapted to engage the interior side-wall of the container tube and form a seal that prevents the dough from extruding into the space between the cup and the side-wall.
The dough in a dough container may generate substantial pressure within the closed container during storage of the packaged dough product. The dough undergoes certain chemical reactions and generates gas pressure in a process known as "proofing." To withstand such pressure, containers usually have metallic "ends" configured to engage an end portion of the paperboard body, either through a process of crimping or seaming. The crimped metal ends retain the dough despite significant force acting indirectly through the plastic cup, at one end, or directly on the metal end, at the other end.
Composite packages which are able to withstand internal pressures such as those generated by refrigerated dough products are generally able to withstand pressures in the range of 8 to 35 psi inside the container. A crimped metal end allows gases to vent until the dough product seals off the gas vent paths, and internal pressure then builds until an equilibrium pressure is reached. The metal ends and the can of conventional dough containers are designed to withstand this equilibrium pressure so that the package remains intact over the shelf life of the product.
Unfortunately, the need to withstand significant internal dough-generated pressure has dictated the use of opaque metal ends which can be crimp seamed in conventional dough product packaging. With metal ends, the topping or other ancillary product in the cup is not visible to the consumer prior to purchase, and discoloration may result from the dough or other food products touching the metal ends. Visibility to the consumer may also have significant value in many other applications, such as when it is desirable to enclose a coupon or gift in the cup.
Therefore, there is a need in the industry for a composite container having a cup for ancillary products and which does not require metal ends for retaining the cup. Such a container would preferably retain the cup with little or no additional materials and be able to withstand pressures on the cup commensurate with those experienced with packages containing un-leavened dough. In addition, the contents of the cup would desirably be viewable by the consumer before purchase of the container.